Method of treating threads of cellulosic material and the threads so produced.



C. E. VANDERKL EED A: J. E. BREWER. n METHOD OF TREATING THREADS OF CELLULOSIC MATERIAL AND THE THREADS S0 PRODUCED.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5. I9I6- 1,2693%, I Patented June 11, 1918 are;

CHARLES E. VANDERKLEED, F CQLLINGSWOOD, NEW JERSEY, AND JAMES ED. BREWER, 0F NORBISTQWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS 0F ONE-FIFTH TQ WILLIAM M. FIELD, OF HAVERFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ONE-FIFTH T0 HARRY J. VERNEIR, 0F BEYN MAWR, PENNSYLVANIA, AND ONE-FIFTH T0 FRITZ HEIDI- BEBG, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

PRODUCED.

METHOD 03E TREATING THREADS 0F GELL'ULOSIC MATERIAL AND THE THREADS SQ specification of Letters Patent.

Application flled August'li, 1916. Serial No. 113,291.

-T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. VAN- DERKLEED, a citizen of the United States and a resident of Oollingswood, county of Camden, State of New Jersey, and JAMES En. BREWER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Norristown, county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Treating Threads of Cellulosic Material and the Threads so Produced, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a new and novel method of treating threads, the principal ingredient of which is cellulose, such,'for example, as cotton threads as Well as the threads so produced. Our invention may be employed also in the treatment of threads of other material, the principal constituent of which is cellulose, such as hemp and flax.

One of the objects of our invention is to subject threads of cellulosic material (such ,as cotton threads) to a treatment whereby such threads are rendered very smooth, their luster and also their tensile strength increased.

A further object of our invention is to produce a thread consisting of cellulosic material. in which the interior portion thereof is in a natural state, that is to say, remains unafieoted by the chemicals and the treatment to which it has been subjected, such central portion constituting in effect a. corelike fibrous portion which is surrounded by a thin coating of cellulose or oellulosic materialwhich first has been softened or dis solved by a chemical agent and subsequently precipitated by the action of t a suitable chemical agent.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be referred to and more fully pointed out and described in the detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such description.

" Our invention is not limited to any par ticular form of apparatus by means of which the samemay be carried out, but for the purpose of facilitating the description of the same and aiding in its understanding reference maybe had to the accompanying drawing in which is indicated one form of apparatus which may be employed.

In the drawing Figure l, is a transverse vertical sectional view of a form of apparatus which may be employed; and

Fig. 2, is a sectional view showing a detail of construction.

In the carrying out of our invention in the treatment of threads of cellulosic material,

we first subject the same to the action of a copper ammonium solution or its equivalent. From this solution the threads are passed through a volume of either sulfuric or acetic acid or some other substance having an equivalent action, may be wound upon a spool revolving in water. After the quantity of thread desired has been wound upon such spool, the spool is removed and is further washed in water.

During the passage of the thread through after which the threads Patented June til, rats.

the ammoniaoa'l copper solution (copper as a precipiacal copper solution maybe varied and controlled by varying the speed of travel of said leaving the core-like po'r-T threads through said solution. In other wordsby varying the time or period during which the threads are subjected to the action of the solvent the amount of material which is softened or dissolved is varied.

Such amount may be varied also by varying the strength of the solvent.

In the drawing, the ammoniacal copper I solution is shown at 1 in a container 2. The

sulfuric acid or acetic acid, as the case may be, or their equivalent, is shown at 3 in a container 4.

Each thread to be treated is taken from a spool such as 5, and passes over a guide roll 6 and underneath guide-rods 7, near the bottom of the container 2. Only one thread is shown but it will be understood that as many threads as desired may be treated simultaneously. lFrom the second rod 7 the threads pass forwardly over the guide roll 8 and thence underneath the guide rods 9 near the bottom of the container 4. The threads are carried or drawn forward from the precipitating liquid 3 over a guide roll 9 to a spool 10 and are wound upon the latter which projects into a volume of water 11 held in a container 12, so that as the threads are wound upon the spool they are preliminarily washed and partially freed from the copper sulfate (or acetate as the case may be) and ammonium sulfate. To completely remove these compounds the threads are subjected to additional washing in a further quantity of fresh water. It will be understood that if the precipitating bath or liquid does not consist of sulfuric acid or of acetic acid but of some other sub-.

stance, the resulting compounds will be different.

It is desirable that the threads treated in the manner indicated should be smooth and of uniform diameter at all points. This condition is affected and brought about b causing capillary-like openings situated intermediate the ammoniacal copper solution and the precipitant; that is, the sulfuric or acetic acid. In the construction as illustrated the device employed for this purpose consists of a short section of tube 14, one end of which is reduced to form a small capilla like opening 15 as indicated. It will understood that the diameter of the tube as shown in Fig. 2 of the enlarged; also that there are as many of these devices as there are threads being treated. Another threads through such small openings is that any excess of solvent threads and caused to container 2,--thus constituting a saving of the solvent and reventing the unnecessary transference of t e same to the container 4: and the consequent contamination of the precipitant 3.

We have found also that the resulting product is somewhat improved if the copper ammonium solution through which the threads are caused to pass is provided previously with a quantity of purified celludrawing is greatly advantage of passing the the threads to pass through sma l is removed from the fall back into the.

aaeaaac lose in solution. When such cellulose is present in solution it penetrates into and is deposited upon the surface of the threads as they are passed through the copper ammonium solution. These threads are rendered smooth and of uniform diameter by being passed through small capillary-like openings as previously described and by subsequently passing the same through the precipitant consisting of sulfuric acid, acetic acid or some other equivalent material and thereafter washing, the copper and the ammonium are removed also as previously described, leaving a coating of precipitated and hardened cellulose. It will be seen that by this latter method there is what may be termed and described a step in addition to that employed in carrying out the method and process as first described. That is to say, not only are the filamental projecting portions from the thread dissolved or softened but there is added to the thread as a deposit a coating of pure cellulose. By such addition both the luster and the tensile strength of the threads are somewhat increased.

Our invention may also be applied to the treatment of fabric consisting of woven threads of cellulosic material. As described in connection with the treatment of threads of such material the fabric may be passed through a solvent consisting of ammoniacal copper (copper ammonium) solution which. acts to dissolve or soften the outer surfaces of the threads of which the fabric is comosed. Such fabric preferably, in order to essen or remove the interstices between the threads, should be subjected to compression, as by means of revolving compression rollers, after which it is subjected to the action of a precipitating substance, such as sulfuric acid or acetic acid or their equivalent, and should then be washed in water so as to remove the compounds of copper and ammonium as described in connection with the treatment of the threads.

As a result of the method above described, whether in connection with the treatment of the threads or in connection with the treatment of a fabric composed of threads, the threads of the final product consist of a central core-like portion of what may be termed raw or untreated fibrous cellulosic material surrounded by a coating of cellulose produced by first treating the threads, as threads per 86 or as a fabric, in copper ammonium solution, thereafter subjecting the same to the action of a precipitant (such as sulfuric acid or acetic acid) and finally washing the same thoroughly in water so as to remove therefrom such compounds of copper and ammonium as may have been formed.

We claim 1. Theart of treating threads of cellulosic hit lib

naeaeao material which comprises the softening or dissolving of'the outer portions of such threads, depositing a coating of dissolved cellulose upon such threads, and thereafter subjecting the same to the action of a precipitant. 1

2. The art of treating a thread of cellulosic material which consists in dissolving a thin outer layer thereof, depositing a thin layer of cellulose upon such thread and thereafter subjecting. the said thread with the thin'layer of cellulose deposited thereon to the action of a precipitant and finally washing the'said thread in water.

3. The art of treating material consisting of cellulose which comprises the softening or dissolving of theouter portions of such material, depositing a coating of dissolved cellulose upon such material, and thereafter subjecting the same to the action of a precipitant to harden and precipitate the said softened and dissolved cellulose.

4-. The art of treating a thread composed of cellulosic material which consists in subjecting the said thread to the action of a copper ammonium solution containing cellulose in solution and softening or dissolving a thin outer portion of the sald thread, leaving a fibrous central portion, thereafter subjecting the said thread to an acid to form soluble compounds of copper and ammonium and precipitate and harden the layer of dissolved and softened cellulose upon said thread and thereafter remove said compounds.

5. The art of treating a thread composed of cellulosic material which consists in subjecting the said thread to the action of a copper ammonium solution containing cellulose in solution and depositing a thin layer of such cellulose upon said thread, next subjecting it to the action of an acid precipitant to precipitate and harden the dissolved cellulose and to form compounds of copper and ammonium and thereafter washingthe said thread in water to remove the said copper and ammonium compounds and afiid any should have adhered to the said t rea 6. The art of treating cotton threads j which consists in passing thesamethrough a volume of copper ammonium solution containing cellulose in solution and dissolving a thin outer layer of the said thread and depositing a portion of the collulose upon said threads, next passing the same through a precipitant having the capacity of prefcipita-ting the dissolved cellulose and of formingcopper and ammonium compounds and subsequently washing the said thread to remove the said copper and ammonium compounds and leaving the dissolved cellulose material as a coat g surrounding the undissolved core-like portion of the said. thread.

7. The art oftreating cotton thread which washing in water to precipitate consists in passing the same through a volume of copper ammonium solution containing cellulose in solution and thereby softening or dissolving a thin outer layer of the sa1d thread and also depositing a coating of cellulose from said solution upon such thread, next passing the same through a volume of sulfuric acid to precipitate rd harden the dissolved and so tened cellulose and form compounds consisting of copper sulfate and ammonium sulfate and subsequently washing the said thread to remove the said compounds, leaving the precip tated and hardened cellulose material as a coating upon the undissolved central core-like portion of the said thread.

8. The art of treating threads composed of cellulosic material, which consists in passing the same through a quantity of copper ammonium solution containing cellulose in solution, thereafter smoothing the surfaces of said threads and rendering them of uniform diameter throughout their length, subsequently subjecting the said threads to the action of an acid to precipitate and fix the dissolved cellulose thereon and to form compounds of ammonium and copper and thereafter washing the said threads to remove said compounds.

9. The art of treating threads composed of cellulosic material which consists in passing the said thread through a copper ammonium solution having therein a quantity of pure cellulose in solution, softening or dissolving a thin layer of the said thread and simultaneously depositing thereon a thin coating of (pure cellulose, subsequently passing the sai thread through a precipitant to the dissolved cellulose and to form compounds of copper and ammonium and thereafter washing the said thread to remove the said compounds therefrom and leaving a coating of said precipitated cellulose surrounding the now 'unafl'ected portion of said thread. j 10. The art of treating fabrics composed of cellulose threads which consists in passing the said fabric through a copper ammonium solution containing cellulose in solution and depositing a lose as a layer upon the threads of said fabric, thereafter passing the said fabric through a liquid which precipitates and fixes dissolved and softened cellulose upon said fabric and monium solution held upon the said fabric to form compounds of copper and ammonium and thereafter washing the said fabric to remove the said compounds.

I 11. The art of treating a fabric composed ofthreads of cellulosic material which con-- sists. in passing the said fabric through a copper ammomum solution containing cellulosem solution and depositing a portion of portion of said celluf hit 11bit which acts'upon the copper amsaid cellulose as a layer upon the threads of 1 meeeeo said. fabric, thereafter subjecting the said with it coating of previously precipitated fabric to compression, next passing the same cellulose.

through sulfuric acid to precipitate and fix In testimony that We claim the foregoin dissolved and softened cellulose upon said as our invention We have hereunto slgne 5 fabric and to form copper and ammonium our names this 3rd day of August, A. D.

sulfates and subsequentl Washing the said 1916. fabric to remove the sai sulfates and leziv- CHARLES E. VANDERKLEED.

ing the threads oi the said fabric surrounded JAMES ED. BREWER. 

